Tanto - Authentic? Saya Translation Help

[FletchSan]

Hi All,

 

I picked up a tanto fairly cheap though it is not in great condition, there is some damage and several rust spots on the blade. It looks authentic to me, though the crude Kanji on the saya makes me wonder.

 

Is it authentic and any idea what the Kanji on the saya reads? The nagako is unsigned.

 

I think the last 3 characters may be on the 10th day of October made this ? Though probably reading it wrong. The last character looks like the Honami family seal?

 

cheers,

 

Ben

 

PS. Edited this post and added another photo. Decided to stick in my scanner and see how that worked, wow - I'm impressed

[Fuuten]

I'm not an expert, but all in all doesn't look good. Also in the last photo, it looks as if the tip /kissaki has been broken.

 

Edit: also the nodges on the mune of the nagako are odd..

[PeterS]

I think this blade isn't tanto. Maybe a wakizashi for a child or a shortened wakizashi. The kissaki was brokened and restored.

The kanji on the saya is interesting too to me. But i'm not expert.

i hope you get help from a better people here...

Peter

[Kai-Gunto]

Not a tanto , but a wak.

[Marius]

Wak? Whack 

 

Sorry Ben, I know I am annoying. 

 

Not Honami. Crude sayagaki, crude nakago... Highly unlikely that this is a good sword. 

[SteveM]

I would say the sayagaki is beyond crude and is into a completely different level of misery. The wakizashi is also a worry.

 

I hate to be a buzzkill, so I will end on a good note by saying that I agree your scanner did a very impressive job!

[FletchSan]

Thanks for the responses. Not sure it could be a wakizashi though as it is tiny compared to a wak... only 33cm long including tang and 2cm wide.

I've attached a picture with it next to a wakizashi I have for comparison in the original post. I'm intrigued by the idea of a child's wakizashi - are these common?

 

cheers,

 

Ben

[PeterS]

Thanks for the responses. Not sure it could be a wakizashi though as it is tiny compared to a wak... only 33cm long including tang and 2cm wide.

I've attached a picture with it next to a wakizashi I have for comparison in the original post. I'm intrigued by the idea of a child's wakizashi - are these common?

 

cheers,

 

Ben

 

Dear Ben!

 

You can see some nicks on the nakago at the habaki. Some smith used this sign, we asked Mr. Sesko about that, but he didn't know what are these. Bet you can see these under the hole too on the nakago. That was the original measure of the blade. Was it longer with 5-7 cm. I think it made to a child. And later someone tried to make a tanto from this blade. I think too that the kissaki was broken and was repaired.

 

I think after a rough polish maybe show up something, but not sure. I had 2 years ago a same Ujitsugu "tanto". Cca in same condition. After polishing has became much more nicer.

 

But you have to wait for an answer from a much more expert people.

 

ATBTY

Peter

[Marius]

Genpuku = coming of age ceremony. A boy would get a miniature sword. 

 

Technically speaking, anything above 30 cm is a wakizashi. But you should keep in mind the sugata (shape of this sword). It is a shinogi zukuri blade (understood as a blade which has a shinogi and a yokote*), and no tanto (dagger) has ever been made shinogi zukuri (this a commonly accepted wisodm, which, however is not entirely true, but that is another story). 

 

 

* yes, I know, your blade does not have yokote. But that is because some moron has ground it down, OK?

[FletchSan]

Ok. So cut down childs wakizashi in very bad condition. Glad I didn't pay that much!

 

Still interested in what it says on the saya if anyone can read it. Thanks.

[SteveM]

I'm afraid its just a jumble of kanji-like fragments, and perhaps some earnest attempts at copying real kanji.

If I were being very generous I would say the kanji resemble something like the below, with the boxes representing illegible kanji.

正真囗囗肥囗

 

まさざね囗囗ひ囗

 

Masazane (something) (something) Hi (something)

 

But in truth, the 正真 doesn't look anything like a sayagaki rendering of these kanji. As for the rest, 肥 is recognizable, but normally one would expect to see 後 after 肥, since 肥後 is a famous sword-making region and is quite common in signatures. In addition, the kanji 肥 itself is somewhat rare except for this one location name, and so the combination could hardly be anything but 肥後, 肥前, or perhaps 肥州, but as you can see from the sayagaki, the kanji after 肥 doesn't resemble any of these. I'm afraid it looks like somebody not familiar with kanji made an amateur attempt at fabricating a sayagaki.

[FletchSan]

Thanks Steve - really appreciate the effort!